Wonder Valley, California, in the heart of the Mojave Desert, is a rural community of artists, musicians, and other desert dwellers. Visit the Palms Restaurant, the Glass Outhouse Gallery, and the Wonder Valley Community Center. Visit the beautiful Pinto and Bullion mountains. Minutes from Joshua Tree National Park and the Gateway to the Mojave Preserve.

Thursday, May 10, 2018

Desert Trail column for May 10, 2018

The Dale Basin Well Owners Association meeting was well-attended and informative. Former Vice President Max Rossi is now President due to former President Jerry Peek’s relocation to Arizona. Ted Meyers was elected Vice President and Olympia Rossi was elected Secretary/Treasurer. Olympia will replace Mary Quamme who is retiring after this meeting, having served in this position for the past 18 years. We thank Mary for all her work and years of dedication to the association. Topics discussed included possible water contamination from fire-fighting foam used in training at the Marine Corps Base, well water issues at our fire station and community center, and letters received by well owners from the State Water Resources Control Board regarding water usage reports. One interesting fact brought up at this meeting is that Olympia Rossi has been drinking their filtered well water for the past 10 years with no ill effects. Her Kaiser health insurance has paid for ongoing blood tests to verify that drinking the well water is not harmful to her. This is very interesting.

The Morongo Basin Municipal Advisory Council meeting will take place on Monday, May 14 at the Joshua Tree Community Center, 6171 Sunburst, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Everyone is invited and encouraged to attend.

On Wednesday, May 16, the Wonder Valley Community Meeting will be held at our Wonder Valley Community Center, 80526 ½ Amboy Road near Blower Road, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Included on the agenda is a presentation by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, a review of the wondervalley.org website and the feasibility of forming a Wonder Valley Fire Committee.

For information on the above upcoming events, contact our Wonder Valley Community Center Coordinator and MAC Councilmember Teresa Sitz at 760-367-9880 or teresa.sitz@gmail.com.

Food for Life Ministry prepares and serves delicious free hot meals at the Church of the Nazarene in town every Saturday from 3 to 5 p.m. If you are unable to travel to the church, Reach Out Morongo Basin will deliver these hot meals directly to your home at no charge. Call 760-361-1410 for further information.

Handy Hint: To clean up oily messes on the garage floor (or anywhere else), sprinkle kitty litter on the spills and they’ll be gone in no time.

Today’s Thought: The non-sibling with whom you share a grandparent is your first cousin. If you share only a great-grandparent, it’s your second cousin. The child of your first cousin is your first cousin “once removed,” indicating the number of generations separating you from each other. Therefore, “first cousin once removed” and “second cousin” are not the same thing.

Until next time . . . remember to take time to enjoy the WONDERs all around us.